Battery module and battery pack

Abstract

The utility model provides a battery module and a battery pack, and relates to the technical field of batteries. According to the battery module disclosed by the utility model, the first sealing cavity is formed in the shell of the battery module and is used for accommodating the phase-change material, so that the weight of the battery module disclosed by the invention is favorably reduced, and meanwhile, the battery module has a relatively stable working temperature. Meanwhile, a plurality of grooves are formed in one side, facing the battery cell, of the first plate body; the grooves are matched with one ends of the battery cells in the width direction to limit the battery cells, and the plurality of grooves are formed in the surface of the first plate body, so that the strength of the first plate body is improved, and the weight of the first plate body is further reduced. Besides, the grooves are matched with one ends of the battery cells in the width direction to limit the battery cells, so that the assembly precision of the battery cells is improved, and the structural stability of the battery module in work is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of batteries, in particular to a battery module and a battery pack. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of the global new energy market and the continuous enhancement of environmental awareness, lithium batteries, as a kind of efficient and environmentally friendly new energy, have gradually become a hot topic. Lithium battery systems have been widely used in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, smart homes, unmanned aerial vehicles and other fields. The lithium battery module is one of the important components of the lithium battery system.

[0003] The lithium battery module has a serious heating problem during operation. In the related art, a cold pipe system (such as a cooling water circulation pipeline) is additionally provided to cool the battery, so that the battery has a relatively low working temperature. However, the structure is complex, the assembly efficiency is low, the volume is large, and the weight is large. CONTENT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present application provides a battery module and a battery pack, aiming to improve at least one of the above technical problems.

[0005] In one aspect, the present application provides a battery module, which comprises a shell and a plurality of battery cells arranged in the shell, wherein the plurality of battery cells are stacked along the length direction of the shell.

[0006] The shell comprises one or more first plate bodies, the first plate body is provided with a first sealed cavity for accommodating a phase change material, the side of the first plate body facing the battery cell is provided with a plurality of grooves, the groove is arranged opposite to at least one battery cell, and the groove cooperates with one end of the battery cell in the width direction to limit the battery cell.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, the shape of one end of the battery cell in the width direction is matched with the shape of the groove; and / or

[0008] The groove is clamped with one end of the battery cell in the width direction to limit the battery cell; and / or

[0009] The battery cell comprises a square battery cell or a soft package battery cell; and / or

[0010] The first sealed cavity of the first plate body contains a phase change material, and the melting point of the phase change material is 30-80℃; and / or

[0011] The height of one end of the battery cell in the groove is L1, the height of the groove is L2, all of one end of the battery cell in the width direction is located in the groove, and L2 / L1 is not less than 0.8; and / or

[0012] The first plate body is an aluminum alloy plate.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, a plurality of the grooves are arranged along the length direction of the shell, and a plurality of the grooves and a plurality of the battery cells are arranged one-to-one.

[0014] The shell comprises two first plate bodies, the two first plate bodies are arranged opposite along the width direction of the shell, a plurality of the battery cells are arranged between the two first plate bodies, and the two ends of the battery cells in the width direction are matched with the grooves on the two first plate bodies, respectively; and / or

[0015] A heat-conducting layer is arranged between the battery cell and the first plate body; and / or

[0016] The first sealing cavity comprises a plurality of first sub-cavities, a plurality of the first sub-cavities are distributed along the length direction of the battery module, and each first sub-cavity extends along the height direction of the shell; and / or

[0017] Along the length direction of the shell, at least part of the first sub-cavities are arranged corresponding to the two adjacent grooves.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present application, the shell further comprises two second plate bodies, the two second plate bodies are arranged opposite along the length direction of the shell, a plurality of the battery cells are arranged between the two second plate bodies, the first plate body is arranged between the two second plate bodies, and the two ends of the first plate body in the width direction are connected with the two second plate bodies, respectively.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, a second sealing cavity is arranged in the second plate body, and the second sealing cavity is used for accommodating phase change material; or

[0020] A second sealing cavity is arranged in the second plate body, the second sealing cavity comprises a plurality of second sub-cavities, at least part of the second sub-cavities are used for accommodating phase change material, a plurality of the second sub-cavities are distributed along the height direction of the shell, and each second sub-cavity extends along the width direction of the shell.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present application, the phase change material comprises one or more of paraffin and high-grade fatty acid.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery module further comprises a heat dissipation plate, and the heat dissipation plate is arranged between two adjacent battery cells; or

[0023] The battery module further comprises a heat dissipation plate and a second plate body, the second plate body is connected with the first plate body, and the heat dissipation plate is arranged between the second plate body and the battery cell; or

[0024] The battery module further comprises a buffer plate arranged between two adjacent battery cells.

[0025] The battery module further comprises a buffer plate and a second plate body, the second plate body is connected with the first plate body, and the buffer plate is arranged between the second plate body and the battery cell.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery module further comprises a connecting plate, and the tabs of the plurality of battery cells are arranged on the same side; the connecting plate is arranged on the same side as the tabs, and the connecting plate electrically connects two adjacent battery cells through the tabs.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present application, the connecting plate has a first opening and a second opening arranged at intervals, and two adjacent battery cells include a first battery cell and a second battery cell, a first tab of the first battery cell is located in the first opening, and a second tab of the second battery cell is located in the second opening, and the first tab and the second tab are electrically connected through the connecting plate.

[0028] The second aspect of the present application provides a battery pack, which comprises the battery module.

[0029] Advantages:

[0030] In the present application, a first sealed cavity is arranged on the shell of the battery module, and the first sealed cavity is used to accommodate phase change material. Compared with the prior art scheme of arranging a cooling pipeline on the shell, the weight of the shell is reduced, thereby reducing the weight of the battery module in the present application. At the same time, the phase change material in the present application can absorb a large amount of heat when the battery temperature is high, and release a large amount of heat when the battery temperature is low, so that the battery cells in the shell of the present application have a relatively stable working temperature.

[0031] In addition, a plurality of grooves are arranged on the side of the first plate body facing the battery cells; the grooves cooperate with one end of the battery cells in the width direction to limit the battery cells. Arranging a plurality of grooves on the surface of the first plate body is beneficial to increase the strength of the first plate body and further reduce the weight of the shell. In addition, by cooperating with one end of the battery cells in the width direction to limit the battery cells, the assembly precision of the battery cells is improved, and the structural stability of the battery module during operation is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0033] Figure 1is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a top view of the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 3 is Figure 1 is a partial exploded structural schematic diagram of the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the first plate provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 5 is Figure 1 is a top view of the first plate provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 6 is a partial exploded structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of still another embodiment of the battery module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the connecting plate provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 9 is Figure 8 is a top view of the connecting plate shown in the embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 10 is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the connecting plate provided in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0044] In the description of the present application, it needs to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0045] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0046] In this application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation described as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the application. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not elaborated in order not to obscure the description of the present application with unnecessary details. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited by the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

[0047] With the rapid development of global new energy market and the continuous enhancement of environmental awareness, lithium batteries, as a kind of efficient and environmentally friendly new energy, have gradually become a hot topic. Lithium battery systems have been widely used in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, smart homes, unmanned aerial vehicles and other fields. Lithium battery module is one of the important components of lithium battery system. Lithium battery module has a serious problem of overheating during operation. In related technologies, a cooling pipe system (such as a cooling water circulation pipe) is additionally provided to cool the battery, so that the battery has a relatively low working temperature. However, it has the problems of complex structure, low assembly efficiency, large volume expansion and heavy weight.

[0048] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a battery module, which has the advantages of simple structure, high assembly efficiency, light weight, stable working temperature and small volume expansion.

[0049] Please refer toFigures 1 to 10 The battery module 100 provided by the embodiments of the present application comprises a shell 10 and a plurality of battery cells 20, and the plurality of battery cells 20 are arranged in the shell 10. Exemplarily, the plurality of battery cells 20 in the embodiments of the present application are used for storing or releasing electric energy. The shell 10 is used for providing a mounting space and protecting the plurality of battery cells 20 arranged therein.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the embodiments of the present application, the plurality of battery cells 20 are stacked along the length direction F1 of the shell 10 (i.e. the length direction of the battery module 100). Exemplarily, the battery cells 20 can be square battery cells or soft package battery cells, which are not limited herein. In the following, the length direction F1 of the shell 10 is also the length direction of the battery module 100 unless otherwise specified. The width direction F2 of the shell 10 is also the length direction of the battery module 100.

[0051] In order to facilitate processing and improve space utilization, each battery cell 20 is generally square in structure, and the shape and size of each battery cell 20 are the same or similar, and the mounting space in the shell 10 is adapted to the size and shape of the plurality of battery cells 20. The thickness direction of each battery cell 20 (i.e. the length direction F1 of the shell 10 or the battery module 100) is parallel to the horizontal direction. The largest surface of each battery cell 20 is perpendicular to the length direction of the battery module 100, and the plurality of battery cells 20 are stacked along the length direction of the battery module 100, which can also be understood as that the plurality of battery cells 20 are stacked along the thickness direction thereof.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, please refer to Figures 3 to 5 The shell 10 comprises a first plate body 11, the first plate body 11 is provided with a first sealed cavity 111 for accommodating phase change material, and the side of the first plate body 11 facing the battery cells 20 is provided with a plurality of grooves 112. The grooves 112 are arranged opposite to at least one battery cell 20, and the grooves 112 cooperate with one end of the width direction of the opposite battery cell 20 to limit the battery cell 20. Exemplarily, the grooves cooperate with the end 23 of the width direction of the opposite battery cell to limit the battery cell.

[0053] It should be noted that the grooves 112 are arranged opposite to at least one battery cell 20, which means that one groove 112 can be arranged opposite to one battery cell 20, i.e. one-to-one correspondence between the grooves 112 and the battery cells 20. Of course, one groove 112 can also be arranged opposite to a plurality of battery cells 20 (e.g. two or three, etc.), which is not limited herein.

[0054] As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the width direction of the battery cell is also the width direction F2 of the shell 10. One end 23 of the width direction of the battery cell can also be understood as an end of the battery cell facing the first plate body 11. The number of the first plate body 11 in the present application can be one or multiple (for example, two), which is not limited here.

[0055] It can be understood that, by arranging the first sealed cavity 111 on the shell 10 of the battery module 100 in the present application, the first sealed cavity 111 is used to accommodate the phase change material, which is advantageous to reduce the weight of the shell 10 compared with the scheme of arranging the cooling water pipeline on the shell 10 in the prior art, thereby reducing the weight of the battery module 100 in the present application. At the same time, the phase change material in the present application can absorb a large amount of heat to reduce the temperature of the battery when the temperature of the battery cell 20 is relatively high, and release a large amount of heat to increase the temperature of the battery cell 20 when the temperature of the battery cell 20 is relatively low, so that the battery cell 20 in the shell 10 in the present application has a relatively stable working temperature.

[0056] At the same time, the present application further arranges a plurality of grooves 112 on the side of the first plate body 11 facing the battery cell 20, which can increase the strength of the first plate body 11 and further reduce the weight of the first plate body 11. The groove 112 cooperates with one end of the width direction of the battery cell 20, and limits the battery cell 20 through the groove 112, which is advantageous to improve the assembly efficiency and accuracy of the battery cell 20.

[0057] In addition, it should be noted that in the related art, a predetermined pressure is generally applied to the front surface of the battery cell 20 (that is, the largest surface of the battery cell 20) to avoid the expansion and deformation of the battery cell 20, while the position close to the side surface of the battery cell 20 (for example, the end in the width direction of the battery cell 20) is almost not subjected to the pre-pressure, which leads to the problem of easy deformation. Compared with the related art, the present application arranges the first sealed cavity 111 in the first plate body 11, the first sealed cavity 111 is used to accommodate the phase change material, and the grooves 112 are arranged on the side of the first plate body 11 facing the battery cell 20, so that one end of the battery cell 20 located in the groove 112 (that is, one end of the battery cell 20 in the width direction) is closer to the first sealed cavity 111 than other regions of the battery cell 20, and has better temperature stability during the working process of the battery cell 20, and is limited by the groove 112, thereby being advantageous and reducing the deformation amount of the end of the battery cell 20 in the width direction cooperating with the groove 112, and improving the structural stability of the battery module 100 during working.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present application, the shape of one end of the battery cell 20 in the width direction is adapted to the shape of the groove 112, which is advantageous for further improving the assembly accuracy of the battery cell 20, improving the contact area between the battery cell 20 and the body, further reducing the swelling deformation of the battery cell 20 in the working process, and making the structure of the battery cell module more stable. For example, the structure of the battery cell 20 is square (i.e., the battery cell 20 is a square battery cell 20), and correspondingly, the groove 112 is a square groove. Of course, in other embodiments of the present application, the shape of one end of the battery cell 20 in the width direction can also be other shapes, which are not limited here.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present application, the height of the end of the battery cell 20 close to the groove 112 is L1, the height of the groove 112 is L2, and the entire end of the battery cell 20 in the width direction is located in the groove 112, and L2 / L1 is not less than 0.8. In this way, it is advantageous to further improve the contact area between the battery cell 20 and the first plate body 11, further reduce the swelling deformation of the battery cell 20 in the working process, and make the structure of the battery cell module 100 more stable.

[0060] For example, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the battery cell is a square battery cell, the height of the battery cell is L1, which refers to the height direction of the shell, the height direction of the shell, the length direction of the shell, and the width direction of the shell are two mutually perpendicular directions. For example, the first sealing cavity of the first plate body contains a phase change material, and the melting point of the phase change material is 30-80°C. In this way, it is advantageous to stabilize the temperature of the battery cell 20 or the battery module 100 in the present application at 30-80°C.

[0061] Specifically, the phase change material includes one or more of paraffin and high-grade fatty acids.

[0062] Specifically, the shell 10 includes a pair of first plate bodies 11 (i.e., the shell 10 includes two first plate bodies 11), and the pair of first plate bodies 11 are oppositely arranged along the width direction F2 of the battery module 100, and the two ends of the battery cell 20 in the width direction are respectively matched with the grooves 112 on the pair of first plate bodies 11. In this way, it is advantageous to further improve the stability of the battery module 100 in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the pair of first plate bodies 11 are generally symmetrically arranged, and the two ends of the battery cell 20 in the width direction are respectively matched with the corresponding grooves 112 on the pair of first plate bodies 11.

[0063] In some embodiments of the present application, a heat-conducting layer is arranged between the battery cell 20 and the first plate body 11. For example, a heat-conducting adhesive is arranged on the side of the battery cell 20 (i.e. the side of the battery cell 20 facing the groove 112), and the battery cell 20 is fixed in the groove 112 by the heat-conducting adhesive. In this way, the heat-conducting adhesive facilitates faster heat conduction from the battery cell 20 to the first plate body 11, and further improves the temperature stability and structural stability of the battery cell 20 in the shell 10.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present application, the first plate body 11 is an aluminum alloy plate. In this way, the first plate body 10 has a smaller volume and a lighter weight while ensuring the strength of the shell 10.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present application, a plurality of grooves 112 are arranged along the length direction of the battery module 100, and the plurality of grooves 112 and the plurality of battery cells 20 are arranged one-to-one. In this way, the assembly precision of the battery cell 20 is further improved.

[0066] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figures 3 to 5 , the first sealed cavity 111 includes a plurality of first sub-cavities 111a, the plurality of first sub-cavities 111a are distributed along the length direction of the battery module 100, and each of the first sub-cavities 111a extends along the height direction of the battery module 100. In this way, the battery cell 20 can be subjected to differential temperature control. For example, if the battery cell 20 arranged near the middle position has a higher temperature than the battery cell 20 arranged at the edge position, a first sub-cavity 111a corresponding to the battery cell 20 arranged near the middle position can be provided with a better cooling effect or more phase change material, so that the battery cell 20 arranged near the middle position can be cooled faster, thereby realizing differential temperature adjustment of the battery cell 20 arranged at different positions and meeting more use scenarios.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 , along the length direction F1 of the battery module 100, at least part of the first sub-cavities 111a are arranged corresponding to the two adjacent grooves 112, i.e. at least part of the first sub-cavities 111a are arranged corresponding to the two side surfaces (i.e. the two end surfaces of the battery cell in the F2 direction) of the two adjacent battery cells 20. In this way, the temperature difference between the two adjacent battery cells 20 is reduced, and the stability of the battery cell 20 in operation is further improved. Figure 1

[0068] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figures 1 to 3 ​The shell 10 further comprises a pair of second plate bodies 12, the pair of second plate bodies 12 are oppositely arranged along the length direction F1 of the battery module 100, the first plate body 11 is arranged between the pair of second plate bodies 12, and the two ends of the first plate body 11 in the width direction are connected with the pair of second plate bodies 12 respectively, that is, the pair of first plate bodies 11 and the pair of second plate bodies 12 form a square shell 10. In this way, the structure of the shell 10 is simplified, and the structural compactness of the battery module 100 is improved.

[0069] In some embodiments of the present application, the second plate body 12 is provided with a second sealed cavity, and the second sealed cavity is used to accommodate phase change material. In this way, the weight of the battery module 100 and the deformation amount during operation are further reduced, and the stability of the battery module 100 during operation is improved.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present application, the second plate body 12 is provided with a second sealed cavity, and the second sealed cavity comprises a plurality of second sub-cavities 121a, at least part of the second sub-cavities 121a are used to accommodate phase change material, and the plurality of second sub-cavities 121a are distributed along the height direction of the battery module 100, and each second sub-cavity 121a extends along the width direction of the battery module 100. In this way, differential temperature control can be achieved for different regions of the battery cell 20.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present application, the plurality of battery cells 20 are clamped between the pair of second plate bodies 12. In this way, the battery cells 20 in the shell 10 are subjected to a pressing force by the battery cells 20 abutting against the second side plate, which further limits the deformation of the battery cells 20 along the thickness direction (i.e. the length direction of the battery module 100).

[0072] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery module 100 further comprises a heat dissipation plate 30. For example, the heat dissipation plate 30 comprises a first heat dissipation plate arranged between two adjacent battery cells. For another example, the heat dissipation plate 30 comprises a second heat dissipation plate arranged between the second plate body and the battery cell. It should be noted that the first heat dissipation plate and the second heat dissipation plate can be the same or different, which is not limited herein. Specifically, the first heat dissipation plate and the second heat dissipation plate are the same.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 6The battery module 100 further comprises a heat dissipation plate 30 arranged between two adjacent battery cells 20. Further, a heat dissipation plate 30 is arranged between the second plate body 12 and the battery cell. In this way, by arranging the heat dissipation plate 30 between two adjacent battery cells 20 and between the battery cell 20 and the second plate body 12, the heat transfer between the adjacent battery cells 20 is facilitated, the temperature stability of the plurality of battery cells 20 in the shell 10 is improved, the volume expansion of the battery cell 20 during operation is reduced, and the stability of the battery module 100 is improved. Exemplarily, the heat dissipation plate 30 can be a fiber heat dissipation plate 30 (for example, a heat-conductive carbon fiber heat dissipation plate 30) or a rubber heat dissipation plate 30 (for example, a silica gel heat dissipation plate 30), which is not limited herein.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery module 100 further comprises a buffer plate 40. Exemplarily, the buffer plate 40 comprises a first buffer plate arranged between two adjacent battery cells. Exemplarily, the buffer plate 40 comprises a second buffer plate arranged between the second plate body and the battery cell. It should be noted that the first buffer plate and the second buffer plate can be the same or different, which is not limited herein. Specifically, the first buffer plate and the second buffer plate are the same.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 6 The buffer plate 40 is arranged between the battery cell 20 and the second plate body 12, that is, the first plate body 11 and / or the second plate body 12 abuts against the corresponding battery cell 20 through the buffer plate 40. Exemplarily, the buffer plate 40 is an insulating buffer plate, which is beneficial to avoid the shell 10 from leaking electricity and improve the buffering performance and safety performance of the battery module 100.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery module 100 further comprises a buffer plate 40 arranged between two adjacent battery cells 20. In this embodiment, by arranging the buffer plate 40 between two adjacent battery cells 20, rigid contact between the two adjacent battery cells 20 is avoided, which is beneficial to improve the buffering performance of the battery module 100.

[0077] In some embodiments of the present application, the first plate body 11 and / or the second plate body 12 is a metal plate or an alloy plate. In this way, the mechanical strength of the shell 10 is improved, and the mass of the shell 10 is reduced.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figures 7 to 10The battery module 100 further comprises a connecting plate 50, and the tab of each of the plurality of battery cells 20 is disposed on the same side of the connecting plate 50. The connecting plate 50 is disposed on the same side of the tab of the battery cell 20, and the connecting plate 50 is electrically connected to the adjacent two battery cells 20 through the tab. For example, the connecting plate 50 is connected to the tabs of the adjacent two battery cells 20, and the adjacent two battery cells 20 are connected in series through the connecting plate 50.

[0079] Further, the connecting plate 50 has a first opening 50a and a second opening 50b disposed at intervals thereon. The adjacent two battery cells 20 include a first battery cell and a second battery cell. The first tab 21 of the first battery cell is located in the first opening 50a, and the second tab 22 of the second battery cell is located in the second opening 50b. The first tab 21 and the second tab 22 are electrically connected through the connecting plate 50. Specifically, the first tab 21 includes a first positive tab 21a and a first negative tab 21b, and the second tab 22 includes a second positive tab 22a and a second negative tab 22b. The first positive tab 21a and the second negative tab 22b are adjacent to and opposite to each other, and are electrically connected through the connecting plate 50.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present application, each battery cell 20 includes a positive tab and a negative tab, and the positive tab and the negative tab of each battery cell are disposed at intervals in the width direction of the battery cell 20. In the adjacent two battery cells 20, the positive tab of one battery cell 20 is disposed opposite to the negative tab of the other battery cell 20 (i.e., on the same side). The battery module 100 includes a plurality of connecting plates 50. In the width direction of the battery cell 20, the plurality of connecting plates 50 include a first connecting plate group and a second connecting plate group. The first connecting plate group includes a plurality of first connecting plates 51c disposed at intervals in the length direction of the battery module, and the second connecting plate group includes a plurality of second connecting plates 51d disposed at intervals in the length direction of the battery module. The first connecting plate 51c or the second connecting plate 51d connects the positive tab and the negative tab disposed opposite to each other on the adjacent two battery cells 20.

[0081] Specifically, in the width direction of the battery module 100, the first connecting plate 51c and the second connecting plate 51d disposed adjacent to each other are staggered, and in the height direction of the battery module 100 (i.e., the direction perpendicular to F1 and F2, respectively), the first connecting plate 51c and the second connecting plate 51d are located on the same plane. In this way, it is beneficial to improve the smoothness of the electrical connection between the adjacent two battery cells 20 and the connecting plate 50, and further improve the structural compactness of the battery module 100. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the structures of the first connecting plate 51c and the second connecting plate 51d can be the same or different, which is not limited herein. For example, the structures of the first connecting plate 51c and the second connecting plate 51d are the same.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present application, the connecting plate 50 comprises an insulating body 51 and a conductive layer 52 on the insulating body 51. The first opening 50a and the second opening 50b are provided on the insulating body 51, and the conductive layer 52 covers the portion of the insulating body 51 between the first opening 50a and the second opening 50b, and the first tab 21 and the second tab 22 are electrically connected through the conductive layer 52. The first opening 50a and the second opening 50b are arranged in the width direction of the insulating body 51 (i.e. the length direction of the battery module 100). The first opening 50a and the second opening 50b respectively extend in the length direction of the insulating body 51 (i.e. the width direction of the battery module 100), and in the length direction of the insulating body 51, the size of the first opening 50a is greater than the size of the first tab 21, the size of the second opening 50b is greater than the size of the second tab 22, and the area of the first opening 50a is greater than the cross-sectional area of the first tab 21, and the area of the second opening 50b is greater than the cross-sectional area of the second tab 22. In this way, the first tab 21 can smoothly pass through the first opening 50a, the second tab 22 can smoothly pass through the second opening 50b, then the end of the first tab 21 (i.e. the free end of the first tab 21 or the end away from the shell 10) passing through the first opening 50a is bent towards the conductive layer 52 to make it electrically connected with the conductive layer 52, and the end of the second tab 22 (i.e. the free end of the second tab 22 or the end away from the shell 10) passing through the second opening 50b is bent towards the conductive layer 52 to make it electrically connected with the conductive layer 52, which is conducive to improving the stability of the electrical connection between the two adjacent battery cells 20 and improving the assembly efficiency.

[0083] In some embodiments of the present application, in the width direction of the insulating body 51, please refer to Figure 10 , the conductive layer 52 has a first conductive end 52a and a second conductive end 52b, the first conductive end 52a extends into the first opening 50a, and the second conductive end 52b extends into the second opening 50b. In this way, it is conducive to increasing the contact area of the conductive layer 52 with the first tab 21 and the second tab 22, and further improving the convenience and stability of the electrical connection of the first tab 21 and the second tab 22.

[0084] The embodiments of the present application also provide a battery pack comprising at least one battery module 100. Since the battery pack in the embodiments of the present application comprises the above battery module 100, it has the beneficial effects of the battery module 100 described in the present application. For example, the battery pack comprises a box body and a plurality of battery modules 100, and the plurality of battery modules 100 are fixed in the box body.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present application, the battery pack further comprises an electrical system, a thermal management system, a bms (battery management system), etc. It should be noted that the electrical system, the thermal management system and the bms are not the main improvement points of the present application, and will not be described here.

[0086] In the above-described embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus, and the parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the detailed description of other embodiments above, which will not be repeated here.

[0087] The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the application. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the application and are thus within its spirit and scope. It will be understood that the application is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes all embodiments which would normally occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the above description and appended claims.

[0088] Also, the use of "a" or "an" to describe embodiments is intended to be a reference to one or more than one (i.e., to "at least one") unless otherwise indicated. Furthermore, the use of the term "plurality" is intended to denote more than one (i.e., to "at least two"). The use of the term "one" or "only one" is intended to denote a singular entity or aspect, component, step, feature, or the like. Similarly, the use of the term "first" or "second" is intended to denote a difference between entities or aspects, components, steps, features, or the like, but, unless otherwise indicated, such terms are not intended to denote a particular order or chronology between the entities or aspects, components, steps, features, or the like.

[0089] Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term "comprising", used in the description, is not intended to exclude other elements or steps. Nor does it exclude that a currently used element, similar to those described, can be included in a new element, for example a protection group. In order to avoid any doubt, all conventional means of compositing are intended to be incorporated into the descriptions. In particular, any elements of the description that are of a like nature to those described are intended to be encompassed by the term "comprising". Furthermore, the word "comprising" is used in the context of a patent application which follows the prior art which is not intended to be prior art to the patent application. It is not intended that the patent application be limited to the specific embodiments that have been described.

[0090] Some embodiments use numerical ranges to describe quantities of components, attributes, etc. It should be understood that such numerical ranges described in the embodiments are, in some examples, modified by the word "about". Unless otherwise indicated, "about" indicates that a numerical value is not an exact number, but rather is a number that can vary by ±20%. Accordingly, numerical parameters in the specification and claims are approximations, and vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the individual embodiments. In some embodiments, numerical parameters are approximations that can vary by a quantity of less than or equal to 10%, preferably less than or equal to 5%, more preferably less than or equal to 1%, and most preferably less than or equal to 0.1% of the numerical value. Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers such as amounts, amounts of materials, amounts of time, etc., are approximations.

[0091] The above has carried out the detailed introduction to the battery module and the battery pack provided by the embodiment of the application, the principle and the implementation mode of the application are described in the text by applying specific examples, the above embodiment description is only for helping understanding the method of the application and its core idea; meanwhile, for the person skilled in the art, according to the idea of the application, the specific implementation mode and the application range will have the change, and the above is described, and the content of the specification should not be understood as the limitation of the application.

Claims

1. A battery module, characterized in that, The battery module includes a housing and a plurality of battery cells disposed within the housing, the plurality of battery cells being stacked along the length of the housing; The housing includes one or more first plates, each first plate having a first sealing cavity for accommodating a phase change material; the first plate has a plurality of grooves on the side facing the battery cell; the grooves are disposed opposite to at least one battery cell, and the grooves accommodate one end of the battery cell in the width direction and limit the battery cell.

2. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The shape of one end of the cell in the width direction is adapted to the shape of the groove; and / or The groove engages with one end of the battery cell in the width direction to limit the battery cell; and / or The battery cell includes prismatic cells or pouch cells; and / or The first sealed cavity of the first plate contains a phase change material with a melting point of 30°C to 80°C; and / or The height of the battery cell at one end of the groove is L1, the height of the groove is L2, and one end of the battery cell in the width direction is entirely located within the groove, with L2 / L1 not less than 0.8; and / or The first plate is an aluminum alloy plate.

3. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of grooves are arranged along the length of the housing, and the plurality of grooves and the plurality of battery cells are respectively provided; and / or The housing includes two first plates disposed opposite each other along the width direction of the housing, and a plurality of battery cells disposed between the two first plates, with both ends of the battery cells extending into grooves on the two first plates respectively; and / or A heat-conducting layer is provided between the battery cell and the first plate; and / or The first sealing cavity includes a plurality of first sub-cavities, which are distributed along the length of the battery module and each first sub-cavity extends along the height of the housing; and / or Along the length of the housing, at least a portion of the first sub-cavity is provided corresponding to two adjacent grooves.

4. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The housing also includes two second plates, which are arranged opposite each other along the length of the housing. A plurality of battery cells are disposed between the two second plates. The first plate is disposed between the two second plates, and the two ends of the first plate in the width direction are respectively connected to the two second plates.

5. The battery module as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The second plate body has a second sealing cavity, which is used to accommodate the phase change material; or The second plate body is provided with a second sealing cavity, the second sealing cavity includes a plurality of second sub-cavities, at least a portion of the second sub-cavities are used to accommodate phase change material, the plurality of second sub-cavities are distributed along the height direction of the shell, and each second sub-cavity extends along the width direction of the shell.

6. The battery module as described in claim 1 or 5, characterized in that, The phase change material includes one or more of paraffin wax and higher fatty acids.

7. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The battery module further includes a first heat sink, which is disposed between two adjacent battery cells; or The battery module further includes a second heat sink and a second plate, the second plate being connected to the first plate, and the second heat sink being disposed between the second plate and the battery cell; or The battery module further includes a first buffer plate, which is disposed between two adjacent battery cells; or The battery module further includes a second buffer plate and a second plate body, the second plate body being connected to the first plate body, and the second buffer plate being disposed between the second plate body and the battery cell.

8. The battery module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The battery module also includes a connecting plate, and the tabs of the multiple battery cells are arranged on the same side; the connecting plate is arranged on the same side as the tabs, and the connecting plate is electrically connected to two adjacent battery cells through the tabs.

9. The battery module as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The connecting plate has a first opening and a second opening spaced apart. Two adjacent battery cells include a first battery cell and a second battery cell. The first electrode of the first battery cell is located in the first opening, and the second electrode of the second battery cell is located in the second opening. The first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to the connecting plate, respectively.

10. A battery pack, characterized in that, The battery pack includes at least one battery module as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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